Quiet Hybrids Pose Problems for Pedestrians

I have heard that claim before. It is simply people moaning that they can no longer rely on their ears alone to cross the street.

I see a brilliant future for behaviorists crouching behind bushes with clip boards observing Darwin in motion.

Every Thursday morning I get a bloody great dustcart reversing up our road with a posh voice shouting..

'ATTENTION VEHICLE REVERSING...ATTENTION VEHICLE REVERSING...ATTENTION VEHICLE REVERSING...'

etc..If you can't see and hear the sodding thing without the stupid anouncement...oh yes it also has orange flashing lights....

GFive me strength..

Slaps furry head with paw

Del

Our dustcart is also turbocharged, painted yellow and has three men running around collecting and dropping bins, not much chance of being missed!

Not much noise from a hybrid but electric vehicles will, should, be even quieter and we'll all have to be that much more attentive.

Can a football type rattle be fitted to one on the wheels, or perhaps drivers will have to pass a test in humming loudly?

The biggest concern that I have heard about as far as posing a problem for pedestrians is the blind. That these quieter vehicles will limit their freedom to walk around. As of now the Hybrids can not be heard over the noise of the other vehicles. I have already heard that they will have to have something installed on them so the blind pedestrians can hear them. Some of our citizen can't look both ways. I their desire to live productive lives a lot use public transportation to get back and forth to a job. Walk to and from a bus stop unattended. I believe what you are hearing is how we continue to let them have this freedom to be productive and still full fill the need of more economical transportation.

I certainly would not want to deny a blind person the opportunity to live a productive life, and I think there are better ways to do that than to create (more) unnecessary noise. No system is fool proof. If there is a bus or a truck or both accelerating near an intersection, the sound of most cars would be masked. It would take the sound of a Harley to be heard over that noise. If the idea is to have hybrid cars heard over the environmental sounds of the city, each would need a set of train horns to be blowing at all times while traveling within the city limits. Some cities have bells that ring when the walk lights come on. Of course, that won't save any person's life if someone comes speeding through the red light. Blind people are taught how to safely negotiate a city, and not to rely exclusively on their hearing.

If everyone observed 2 laws, there would be no problem: 1. Pedestrians have the right away at clearly marked crossings, and actually any other place. 2. Someone carrying a white cane has the right of way always and anywhere.

Let's not make a lot of noise, and I am done making my noise.

thank you,

L

How can someone get a "good answer" when they asked the noisy question.

Thanks for the silence.

Blind people generally have even better hearing than most people that can see, so I do not see this as a major problem personally. Using pedestrian crossings with a traffic light should not be affected.....

Things like tire noise could be enhanced for such vehicles to make others better aware, winter tires noise is due to the way the tread is made, so they are noisier generally than summer tires. So maybe something could be done there without causing major problems.....

The problems are probably less for such a vehicle than say a push bike as that can be REALLY quiet!!! Fix that and you have helped a lot of people!!!

Hi Andy I agree the blind do have better hearing. The blind are not the ones that are bring this argument forward the seeing are. Whether for them or using them that is questionable.

They want the noise to so that they can locate the vehicle. Tire noise does no good if the vehicle stopped. Remembering the position of each vehicle as it came to a stop could be quite a feat in some intersections. It would be a hazard to them if stopped with part or all the vehicle in the cross walk. We can fault the driver for his lack of judgement. But it happens and the idea is to prevent some one from getting hurt.

I am all for reducing noise pollution. What can we do about the people with the 1000 watt stereo's. You know the ones with the cars where the back corner panel are bulging in and out.

Maybe stopped electric cars that do not have the parking brake on could have one of those truck reversing "peep Peep" things installed, maybe not quite so loud........putting the parking break on and turning off the equivalent of the ignition key, stops it.

I've seen X-walks that have flickering red lights embedded in road when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. I think would be better to have the lights flicker when pedestrian is in crosswalk and vehicle is approaching; or be triggered by vehicle movement to warn everybody.

I was also taught to stop, look, and listen at railroad crossings. I don't know what would do if they started running silent trains. I guess it would simply be, "Stop and Look."

Why do we let legislators assume that trains are of more value than human life? Automobiles drivers need observe X-walks should not the R/R industry build systems which observe human life's value also?

Noise pollution and the effect of audio properties is a factor we should have thoroughly explained.

I agree with you 100%. What about people running. Should they wear bells on their shoes to announce their movement? Blind people use a white cane. If you see one, you know that they don't see you. Act accordingly.

Common sense is like a muscle. If you replace it by legislation it disappears.

Speaking for myself, Humans peaked a few thousand years ago--anything that speeds up our demise can only be good--our masters have figured out that anything that kills off the middle class while allowing them to think they are doing something to save the Earth is the best of both worlds--this includes killing off blind AND deaf people, foisting off ever-more ridiculous and dangerous drugs with lists of side-effects that take longer to read than what the stuff is supposed to help, engaging the idiotic public in mindless blather about gay marriage, seeing which religious leader can say the dumbest thing, waste lives and treasure causing and supporting worldwide terrorism--in short, theres nothing wrong with a planet of 6.5 Billion people that getting rid of 6 Billion of them couldn't fix. Problem is people aren't dying off fast enough, and a little thing like electric cars too quiet to hear will not add much to the meyhemSo go enjoy the sunshine and develop melanoma!

Why don't you help the process along by stepping off of the curb in front of one of those quiet vehicles. That would raise the average IQ of the remainder by several points.

Well put Sir!!!

You are one of those surplus people. Give us all some relief and follow your own advice.

No? Then you are an elitist hypocrite that one of the 6 billion you want dead should be sure that you go before they do.

When the fed legislated curb breaks and sidewalk ramps for wheelchair accessibility they created an unintended consequence. The blind were walking into traffic because they could no longer detect the curb with their canes. This created a whole new industry making and installing those colorful tactile strips you see at the ramps.

Just imagine the possibilities when the fed gets ahold of this subject!

They would legislate the requirement that each quiet car have a person preceding it on foot with a lantern and ringing a bell. You can't ignore the deaf.

What you are trying to do is to bring back the 1865 Locomotive Act (also known as the Red Flag Act) from the UK it would seem!!

See:-

Locomotive Act

We certainly don't want to make hybrids noisy. How about a simple collision avoidance detector or a 'hybrid car detector' to be carried by any blind person that wants or needs one? Maybe this could be tied in with the 'walk' and 'don't walk' signals? How do they hear those?

It's not a downfall as much as a potential opportunity for all you brilliant engineers. Isn't technology exciting?

larry15501,

In the early days on e would need get wet when crossing a river. Why has it taken so long to recognize a need for walking bridges over vehicular roadways?

I'm just going to shelve my invisible car plans until after this gets worked out.

Who would notice?

It is a problem for the blind. Steam cars were so quiet that some places required them to make a sound to protect the blind and pedestrians in general, if my memory is right.

I know that electric cars outnumbered the internal combustion variety by the end of the 1800's...

...hey.. If blind people know where the roads are?? and they do..

Isn't it up to them to cross in a safe and appropriate manner?

Just like a 10 year old?

...Quiet hybrid pose problems for distracted? ....sure.. agreed.

....Of all the news reported... blind people seem to be the least at risk. Give them credit for being far more alert that the general population.

In the end, it's the driver who has the responsibility to travel safely.

So it is the rules of pedestrianised areas need adjustment at last!

For all those whom see - see well:

1. Look - listen - look again right and left - look again - if in doubt repeat.

For all those whom don't see well:

1. Listen - listen - use proximity alert device - listen for obstruction to path alert - listen - if in doubt repeat.